Care Hack

By 2053, one quarter of Australia’s population will be aged 65 and over. Care needs and health costs are increasing as we live longer. Older people are experiencing loneliness and social isolation. Families can find meeting the needs of older family members difficult given competing priorities and a lack of knowledge and caring skills. Our homes and communities aren’t conducive to ageing bodies and social needs and our care system is not keeping up with the increasing expectations of older people and their families. Our model of care needs to be a model of home.

Reimagining Aged Care:

How can residential aged care facilities redesign how they think about care and service?
What would a new aged care service look like when it is providing care
In the community to older people living in their homes?
How can we ensure that all older people in our community are considered and provided for in an aged care system that acknowledges and incorporates the complex diversity that makes up our community?

In reimagining aged care we need to think about certain issues, for example:

Who is missing out? Is it Australians of a different culture or language, the disabled, people who live remotely, LGBTI? How can we improve our service to social inclusion?
How long can I stay at home? I want to remain independent, but how will I manage? How will my carer manage?
How does our public transport, technology and communities activities impact on social isolation and loneliness in older Australians?
Are we workforce ready? How can we increase our workforce to match the increase in aged care needs? Is it the pay, the conditions, technology? How can we support our carers better?
Who provides residential aged care? Are they able to keep up with the increasing demand for aged care places? How does increasing rates of dementia impact on their service of care?

Care Hack has brought together industry professionals and the general public to support development of solutions to these challenges to make a difference in care.

Page updated 23 December 2019